Loiusiana

History: After the ancestors of Native Americans arrived many thousands of years ago, they built the earliest mound complex in North America around 3500 BC. The mound culture grew and spread across much of the present-day Midwest. An initial Spanish expedition in 1528 found the mouth of the Mississippi River. French explorer Robert Caveliere de La Salle arrived in 1682 and named the region ‘Louisiana’. French fur-trappers and traders, coming downriver from Canada, settled in the late 1600s and founded New Orleans. The huge territory was ceded to Spain in 1762, then reclaimed by France in 1800, then sold to the U.S. in 1803 as the Louisiana Purchase. The smaller area now known as Louisiana became the 18^th state on April 30, 1812. It seceded from the U.S. in 1861 and joined the Confederacy; Louisiana rejoined the U.S. in 1868.

Economy: Louisiana is the biggest producer of crawfish in the world. The largest volume shipping port in the Western Hemisphere is the Port of South Louisiana, located on the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Though its principal product is seafood, Louisiana also produces cotton, soybeans, cattle, sugarcane, poultry, and eggs. New Orleans is home to a thriving film industry, along with Shreveport and Baton Rouge. New Orleans is also for tourism and a thriving music/jazz culture.

Climate: Louisiana is known for having a humid subtropical climate, with long, hot, humid summers, and short, mild winters. From April to September there is frequent rainfall. Louisiana is often affected by tropical cyclones, as well as being a prime target for major hurricanes, particularly in the lowlands around and in the New Orleans area. (see Hurricane Katrina)

Geography: Louisiana is made up of two main parts; the uplands of the north, and the alluvial region along the coast. Included in the alluvial region are low, swamp lands, coastal marshlands and beaches, and barrier islands that cover about 20,000 square miles. This area lies along the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River. Most of the southern coast of Louisiana is disappearing faster than any other area in the world. This coastal community is an important fishing area; loss of the wetlands is hurting this industry.

Fun Facts:

The Louisiana Territory was named for King Louis XIV. In French, “La Louisiane” means “Land of Louis”.
The world’s longest bridge over a body of water is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.
One of the highest alligator populations in the country is in Louisiana, with about two million in the wild and another 300,000 on alligator farms.
Well over a million people attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans every year.
The Black Bear is the official state bear of Louisiana, now endangered with only about 600 left.
Though Louisiana has a reputation for liquor, the official state drink is milk.

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